The Language of Flowers
by KiraSakura
Summary: All Sora wanted was some white lillies. He didn't really want the evil redheaded girl, or the insane pink haired man. But the hot boy with the silver hair and extensive knowledge of flowers? Sora didn't mind him. [Forgetmenot: True love][SR, CL, AR]


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts I, II or CoM. Tetsuya Nomura does.

**Warnings:** Swearing, Leon threats and homosexual cats.

**Author's Notes:** DONE!! AT LONG LAST!!

This thing was seriously annoying the fudge outa me. I got up to 1900 words and then my inspiration ran away. Stupid inspiration. But I gots it finished anyway!! Yay!!

This is for Mentally Insane Fangirl. It was beta'd by the wonderful namikun masaki!!

… Ok, so I like gift-fics… IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

Sora sighed, and ran a hand through his unruly mop of spiky brown hair. He glanced out the frosted glass of the 'Nakamura Florists', and noted how the shadows were lengthening, and how late it was getting. If he didn't hurry up he'd be late, and then Leon would murder him. He felt like crying, really. It just wasn't fair. Was it really that hard to get a hold of white lilies? He'd been to eight—eight!—different florists today, and every single one hadn't had any white lilies. Sure, they had pink and yellow and red, but no white. Cloud's favourite colour was white, which was why Sora was trying so hard to get some of the white flowers.

That and Leon had threatened to dismember him if he turned up to the hospital with any other colour. And one did what Leon wanted one to do, lest one wish to wake up with no legs. Or, worse, no hair. Leon could, and most likely would, sick Yuffie onto whoever disobeyed him. And Yuffie was a force to be frightened of. She was the very embodiment of evil, at least in Sora's opinion. And Zexion's. And Demyx's. And Aerith's. And Tifa's. And Cloud's. And… well, you get the point. Yuffie was scary.

Sora looked away from the window, and peered around the shop. It was like all of the others, with bad lighting and the heavy scent of incense lingering in the air. Teddy bears and stuffed animals lined one side of the store on a pink-and-silver shelf, and fake flowers of all sorts lined the other side. A large fridge sat behind the glass counter, several different arrangements inside. A large table sat in the centre of the store, and it was covered in various types of potpourri, and dried flowers. A large china doll sat in the middle of the table, dressed in a lacy gown of pink and white. Around her feet was an arrangement of fake roses and daisies, a small rabbit, and a fawn. Sora snorted.

"Can I help you with anything?" He blinked, and spun around. A girl with bright red hair and purple-blue eyes dressed in a pair of pink jeans and a white tank top smiled at him over the counter. "Um… yeah" Sora replied, glancing at her name-tag. 'Kairi' was scribbled in pink marker, with several little smiley stickers surrounding it. He looked back at her face, and shuddered. She had a sickly sweet smile that he guessed was supposed to look sexy, and she was twirling a strand of hair around her finger. She batted her eyelids, and said, "What is it that you want, sir?"

Sora tried hard not to laugh at the sir. He smirked, and figured he might as well have some fun. "Well, you see, my brother-in-law is very sick. He's in love with white lilies, and I was wondering if you have any? My _boyfriend_ sent me in, so I have to be quick"

He watched in secret glee as Kairi's face paled, and her face changed from 'Cute-and-sexy' to 'Get-the-fuck-away-from-me'. "Uh… I'll go have a look," She said hurriedly, and she rushed into the back of the store. Sora grinned, and did an internal dance. His little bubble of joy was burst, though, when his right pocket started to vibrate. Sighing, Sora thrust his hand into his pocket, and grabbed his mobile. He glanced at caller ID, and paled. Leon's name flashed across the screen, sending shivers down Sora's spine.

Reluctantly, he raised the phone to his ear.

"H… hello?" He whispered.

"_Where. Are. You_?" Leon asked, the anger radiating through the phone. Sora gulped, and stuttered, "Uh… I'm just getting the flowers now!"

"It does _not_ take over five hours to get some godforsaken lilies, Sora!" Leon thundered. Sora winced, and murmured, "Sorry… Oh, here comes Kairi! See ya!"

Sora snapped his phone shut, and looked up at the approaching redhead. She smiled, and said, "Oh, sorry! We don't seem to have any in right now. How about some yellow lilies instead? Or pink?"

Sora sighed, and shook his head. "No. Just… don't worry about it"

Kairi smirked. "Oh, but are you sure? I'm sure your boyfriend would agree on the colour"

Sora blanched. "Oh, no no. Heh. He doesn't go for that kind of thing" He lied. Kairi cocked her head to one side, and replied, "Why not get him to come inside and see?"

"He…. err… doesn't… um…" Sora swore under his breath, thinking of no excuse. He was trapped. He opened his mouth to attempt another answer, when a deep voice laced with youth cut in, "I don't agree on the colour. Pink isn't what we want, Kairi. We'll be leaving now"

Sora blinked, and spun around. Standing behind him was a slightly taller boy with long silver hair tied back in a loose braid, and blue-green-aquamarine eyes. He wore a pair of dirt-stained jeans, and a plain white top, also stained with mud. His was well built, Sora noted, and was probably a year older.

Kairi narrowed her eyes, and snapped, "Riku? If this is you boyfriend, then why on earth are you in here? What about your cousin's florist, hmm?"

Riku snorted. "Just wanted to see what you and your silly family had, Kairi. If you'll excuse us"

Riku grabbed Sora's hand, and pulled him from the store. Dazed, Sora looked up. "Umm… is there any particular reason why you decided to help me?" Sora asked once they were outside.

Riku smiled kindly, and replied, letting go of Sora's hand, "Not really. I was just walking past and saw Kairi giving you a hard time through the window. Anyway, you want white lilies, right?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah. My name's Sora"

Riku grinned. "Riku. But you probably figured that out. Come on. My cousin owns a florist's just down the street. We have about three different types of white lilies blooming, I think"

Sora's face lit up. "R—really? Oh my god! That would be great!"

"Come on, then," Riku smiled, walking away. Sora nodded, and rushed after him.

"How old are you?" Sora asked Riku when he caught up with him.

"Seventeen," Riku replied. "You?"

"Sixteen," Sora answered.

Riku nodded. "You don't seem sixteen. More like fourteen, maybe"

Sora pouted, and muttered, "So? It enhances my cuteness!"

Riku chuckled. "Your cuteness, huh?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah! Every person has a certain -ness! I'm cuteness! My brother, Leon, is stoicness, and his husband, Cloud, is hyperness!"

"And what -ness am I, then?" Riku asked.

Sora frowned, and glanced at the taller boy walking next to him. He blushed, and muttered, "You're sexiness…"

Riku laughed. "Are you hitting on me?" He smirked.

Sora flushed redder, and murmured, "Maybe…"

Riku grinned, and replied, "Well, I do believe I shall hit on you then. Just to make things fair."

Sora smiled, and giggled. He looked up at the older boy, and cocking his head to one side said, "Oh, but it wouldn't be fair! You're obviously here to steal my innocence!"

"Your innocence? Nah. Your virginity, maybe," Riku answered.

"Who said I have it left?" Sora taunted.

Riku smirked, and grabbed Sora's hand. He pulled the brunette up against him, causing Sora to squeal and flush red, and he breathed in Sora's ear, "I do."

Sora felt his voice lodge in his throat, and heat pooled in his stomach.

Riku grinned, and licked Sora's ear, causing the poor boy to gasp loudly. "You are so adorable, So-_ra_," he said.

Sora squeaked, and stuttered, "I—if you wanna… make sure I survive the next four hours… then I'll need those lilies ASAP…"

Riku sighed, and stood back. Sora blinked, blushed, and found that his shoes were suddenly so very interesting. Riku saw this, and snickered.

"We better make sure you survive then, shouldn't we? Can't have my boyfriend-to-be dead" He smiled, and he continued walking. Sora quickly brushed away his bashfulness, and hurried up to Riku.

He grabbed Riku's hand, and replied, "But I've only known you for a hour. It would be terribly indecent for me to date you without knowing anything about you"

Riku snorted, and said, "Okay, then. My name is Riku Tanaka, my father is Sephiroth Tanaka— "

"As in, Sephiroth Tanaka the owner of Square Enix Recording Studios?" Sora cut in, eyes wide.

Riku nodded, and sighed, "—who seems to think I wanna own the damn things one day— which I really, really do not want to do. I have three older brothers: Loz, Kadaj and Yazoo, my favourite colour is blue, my favourite food is vanilla pocky, my favourite band is My Chemical Romance, I play the violin, I attend Hollow Bastion High, I work for my cousin because I don't want to seem like the rich snobby type, I have two gay cats—Saix and Xemnas—and I'm gay myself."

"… your cats are gay? Like, for each other?" Sora asked, stunned.

Riku sighed, and muttered, "Yes, for each other. Don't ask me how that happened"

Sora blinked, and said, in a slightly out-of-it voice, "Makes you wonder how they have sex…"

Riku paused, and turned to look at the brunette next to him. Sora's eyes held a far away look, and his nose was slightly wrinkled.

"…do I even _want_ to know what you're thinking?" Riku questioned.

"No, not really" Sora murmured. He blinked, and hissed, "Ewww… nasty."

Riku raised an eyebrow, and laughed. Sora turned to look at him, and pouted. "What's so funny?"

"You!" Riku barked, and he doubled over, his body shaking. Sora rolled his eyes, and said, "I am not…I—"

The urgent beeping of his phone cut him off, signalling he had a text message. He blinked, and ignoring Riku's little giggle-fit reached into his pocket and pulled forth his phone. He flipped open, and read the message.

_Better run for Mexico. Leon's about to maim the nurse. _

_I'll fund your trip._

—_Cloud_

"He's gonna kiiiiill me!!!" Sora wailed. Riku straightened up, the odd snicker escaping, and asked, "Who?"

"My brother. He'll run me through with a fuckin' mouse if I keep him waiting much longer! A mouse, Riku, a mouse! A LIVE MOUSE! A MOUSE KING! HE'LL KILL ME WITH MICKEY MOUSE!! Oh God! I can see it now, 'Teenage boy killed by over-sized rodent,' " Sora ranted, slightly hysterical.

Riku nodded, and muttered a, "Riiiight…" before pulling the worrying boy forward.

Sora was still panicking and ranting and moaning five minutes later when the two stopped in front of a small building jammed in between a grocery store and a bookshop. The bricks were ruddy brown, and two large windows were covered with deep red velvet curtains, hiding the inside of the building from the outside world. Sora noticed that it had three stories, and the second story's windows were wide open, white curtains flapping lightly in the breeze.

The way into the store was via a dirty glass door, which had another curtain hanging over it. The only way Sora was able to tell that this was a flower shop was by the small pink and green sign above the door that said, 'Perfection: Perfect, fresh flowers within minutes'. The sign itself was relatively clean and new looking, and had beautifully painted flowers bordering it.

Sora glanced at Riku, and then back at the store. "Umm…," He started, not sure of what to say.

Riku saw this, and smirking he said, "Not what you expected, is it? You thought it would be like all those other craptastic places with their fucked up flowers, right?"

Sora nodded, and murmured, "It's… not like this on the inside, is it?"

Riku grinned. "Come on" He said, and he opened the door and stepped inside, pulling Sora in after him.

Sora's eye widened as he stepped into the store. The room was surprisingly large. Each wall had a mural of flowers painted on to it and was lined with a bench. On each bench sat an array of flowers, the colours bright and beautifully alive. Tulips, geraniums, daisies, roses, poppies, violets and irises were part of the display. A large wooden counter painted green and lined with yellow and red cosmos flowers sat in one corner, a staircase leading up to the second story behind it.

A large open door, covered with nothing but a sheet of white satin let in a burst of afternoon sunlight, and seemed to lead outside. The ceiling was one huge mirror, reflecting the light and flowers. A sweet scent lingered in the air, but it wasn't fake like the overwhelming smell of incense Sora was used to. The soft sound of trickling water came from beyond the open door, mixing with the soothing music that was playing.

"It's…" Sora started, looking around. He walked over to a box of purple daises, and gently ran his hand over their tops. The petals were soft and velvety against his fingertips. Riku grinned, and walked up behind Sora.

"Did you know that each flower means a different thing?" Riku said, reaching out and plucking a daisy. He handed it to Sora, and said, "A daisy, for example, means innocence"

Sora smiled, and handed the flower back to Riku. "What does a lily mean?"

"Depends on the colour. Orange lilies mean hatred, whilst a day lily means coquetry" Riku answered. Sora nodded, and said, "Speaking of lilies… my life, remember?"

Riku laughed, and turned around. "Just let me grab the scissors. Wait right there"

Sora saluted Riku, and replied, "Can do"

Riku snorted, and headed up the stairs. Sora looked back around the room. He noticed a box of buttercups, and wandered over to it, smiling at the cheery yellow flowers. "For such deadly flowers you're certainly very pretty" He murmured.

"Who are you?"

Sora blinked, and spun around. Standing in the doorway was a young girl wearing a white dress with long blonde hair, a pencil sticking out from behind her right ear. She had soft blue eyes, and cherub-like face. In her hands was a worn sketchpad, the cover of it covered in pretty blue swirls. She seemed to be about Sora's age.

"Um… my name's Sora Leonhart. Riku… is up stairs getting the… scissors…" He trailed off, feeling like he'd been caught doing something wrong. The girl blinked, and moved forward. "My name's Naminé. I'm Riku's cousin" She said. Sora nodded, and said, "Oh, so you own this place?"

Naminé shook her head, and placed her sketchpad on the counter. She brushed the hair from her face, and replied, "No, my older brother does"

Sora nodded, and looked around again. "It's really nice," he smiled, looking back at Naminé.

She smiled slightly, and answered, "Yeah. Marluxia spent a fortune on it"

"Marluxia? Your brother?" Sora asked. Naminé nodded.

She glanced at Sora, and then at the buttercups. "You… like buttercups?" She asked. Sora blinked, and looked down at the flowers, and then back at Naminé.

"Um… yeah, I guess. I mean, they're really pretty. But my brother told me they're poisonous" Sora grinned, placing his hands behind his head so that his elbows stuck out.

"Yes, they are poisonous. But they're really quite happy flowers. The mean cheerfulness, after all," she said. Sora nodded. He was about to reply, but the heavy stomping of someone coming down the stairs cut him off. Naminé grimaced slightly, and she looked over to the stairs.

Suddenly a man with pink hair that went down his shoulders dressed in a pair of dirty jeans and a long-sleeved green top burst into the room, scowling. Sora stood back, and the man's eyes fell upon Naminé.

"Naaamiiinééé!" he suddenly whined, and literally flung himself at her. She simply stood back, letting the man fall with a 'thump' against the tiled floor. He laid perfectly still, before groaning, "Why are you so meeeaaan to meee?"

Naminé rolled her eyes, and stepped over the man. She smiled at Sora and waved slightly, before heading up the stairs, shouting back, "Because you're a moron, Marly! Oh, hey Riku. Your newest boy toy is waiting for ya."

Sora flushed bright red at the 'boy toy' statement. Riku then came stomping down the stairs, right eye twitching. His hands were gloved, and a pair of scissors were being held, along with a bucket. He stormed past the man - who was still on the floor for some reason unknown to Sora - and out the door, motioning for the brunette to follow. Sora did so, and both boys emerged into a large courtyard. A large fountain sat in the centre, and Sora could only stare. Flowers and small shrubs and trees were _everywhere_. Butterflies and pumpkin beetles flittered from one flower to the next, adding to bright burst of colours.

"Wow…" He muttered, eyes going from a large tree covered in small purple-white buds that smelled positively gorgeous to a mass of yellow and red marigolds that seemed to blend into each other.

Riku smiled, and said, "Marluxia - the half-mad man who is probably still on the floor inside - spent hours upon hours this place. He doesn't believe in forcing flowers to grow. He lets his grow naturally, when they want"

Sora nodded. "I see," He murmured, eyes trailing over the mass of colour. "It's lovely," He added.

Riku smirked. "Yeah. It really is. So, shall we save your life, So-ra?"

Sora wrinkled his nose, and muttered, "I think it's too late to save it. But we can try"

Riku snickered, and walked into a mass of orange trees. Sora hurried after him, and they came into a small circle surrounded by different types of lilies. Red, orange, yellow, pink… and then Sora's eyes fell upon the bunch of white lilies. A gigantic smile threatened to split his face in two, and Riku laughed at the boy's expression. He walked over to them, and squatted down.

"So, shall it be Casablanca lilies? Or Expressions? Or maybe Consenza?" Riku asked, pointed out each breed of flower. Sora shook his head, and pointed to a bunch of snow-white, slim lilies. Riku nodded, and he moved over to them. "Navarra lilies," Riku said, as he snipped several of them. He then added some yellow ones, saying, "These are called Dreamland." He placed them in his bucket, and straightened up. He turned to Sora, and said, "Come on, then"

The two returned to store, and Riku snorted. Marluxia was still on the floor, light snores coming from him. Sora raised an eyebrow, and murmured, "Does… he do that often?"

Riku rolled his eyes, and walked over to the stairs. "All the time. Come on up."

Sora nodded, and followed Riku up the stairs. They emerged into another large room, painted white. Two long, large tables stretched out in the centre, scissors, wrapping paper, ribbons and wire scattered over them. Riku headed over to one of the tables, and started to weave wire around the lilies stems. Sora watched him, and when Riku asked his to pick out a colour of wrapping paper he chose light blue. Riku fixed up the relatively large bouquet, before wrapping a dark blue ribbon around it. He smiled, and headed back down the stairs, Sora following.

"Sorry, but I have to charge you for these" Riku smiled. Sora rolled his eyes, and muttered, "But what about us! I thought you'd give them to me for free because of our newfound love! Oh heavens!"

Riku smirked, and replied, "Alas, dearest Sora, I'm afraid that I was only fooling with you! "

Sora looked completely aghast, and he cried, "But I'm broke! All my money goes to buying enough food to last the week!

Riku looked heavenward, and placing hand above his heart said, "But Sora! We need the money to buy medicine for Marluxia's medical condition!"

Sora laughed at that, and replied, "Ok, ok. Enough fooling around. Leon's going to run me through with a spork soon. How much?"

"Twenty-five," Riku replied, taking the money from Sora. He placed it in the cash register with a 'ding', and handed the flowers to the younger boy. Sora smiled as he took them from Riku, before looking up. A silence passed over them, and finally Riku said, "What school do you go to?"

"Hollow Bastion High," Sora replied.

Riku grinned, and said, "What class?"

"10D. Yours?" Sora asked in return.

"11B," Riku answered, and then he spun around on his heel, and said, "Wait there."

He ran outside, and Sora fidgeted. Riku then returned, a sweet pea clutched in his left hand, a forget-me-not in the other. He tucked the sweet pea behind Sora's left ear, and leaning down he murmured, "Sweet pea. It means goodbye; departure; blissful pleasure; Thank you for a lovely time." He then tucked the forget-me-not behind Sora's right ear, and he said, "Forget-me-not. True love; memories."

He then swept his lips over Sora's, and whispered, "See ya at school, So-ra" and he pushed the stunned boy out the door and into the street. "Say hi to your brother for me," Riku laughed, and he shut the door and locked it.

Sora stood there, shocked, before reaching up and gently touching the flowers in his hair. A small smile broke out on his face, and muttered, "Yeah. See ya at school."

**X-x-X**

_One week later…_

**X-x-X**

Sora sat in his classroom, idly flicking his pencil back and forth over his desk, waiting for the teacher to arrive. Tidus and Wakka sat next to him, laughing and joking around about last night's episode of 'Final Fantasy VIII'. Sora was tuning them out, mainly because he had no interest in the show. He swished his fingers over his lips, remembered Riku's feather-light kiss. A healthy red tinge spread across his nose and cheeks, and Tidus poked him in the side, and said, "Hey, you okay, Sor? You're blushing"

Sora looked up, and blinked at his blonde-haired friend. He then grinned, and said, "Yeah. I'm fine"

"You sure?" Tidus asked. Sora rolled his eyes, and muttered, "Yes, Tidus, I'm sure."

Tidus was about to answer, but he was cut off when the door to the classroom burst open, and a shout of, "Jesus, Ri! Can't you open your own damn door?"

"No, Seifer, I bloody well can't!"

And then Riku stepped in to the classroom, a large bouquet of flowers in his hands. The class fell silent, and Riku's eyes scanned over them. They fell upon Sora, and he smirked. "Long time no see, eh, So-ra?" He smiled, and he walked over to the brunette's desk. He then placed the mass of flowers on it, and pointed to each one.

"Acacia; Secret love. Aster; love, daintiness. Baby's Breath; everlasting love. Gladiolus; love at first sight. White rose; eternal love, innocence, heavenly, secrecy and silence. Yellow Tulip; hopeless love. I missed you like hell."

And then Riku bent down and kissed Sora on the lips, before standing back. He gently flicked Sora's nose, and muttered, "I have class now. Meet me after school."

Sora nodded dumbly, and watched as his boyfriend-friend-not-quite-sure-what-he-was walked out of the classroom, arguing with his friends.

"Sora, how on earth did you snag an upperclassman?" Tidus muttered, eyeing the flowers.

Sora blushed, and answered, "Luck, I guess."

**X-x-X**

_Twenty-one years later…_

**X-x-X**

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sora winced, and looked up from the meal he was preparing. He sighed, and shouted back, "Roxas, no yelling!"

The sound of stamping feet announced his adopted son's presence, and the fifteen-year-old blonde walked into the kitchen. His blue eyes were wide, and he was flailing his arms around like he was insane. And, Sora started to suspect as his son ranted about something, maybe he was.

"And so I wanna tell Axel how much I like him but I wanna do it secretly you know because I have the whole I'm-a-cold-bastard reputation going and I can't ruin it and I really really like Axel and what do I doooooooo?" Roxas wailed. Sora snorted, and ran a hand through his mop of brown hair. He thought for a second, before smiling.

"Give him a red tulip. It's what your father gave me on the night he proposed" Sora smiled, thinking back to when Riku had given him the red flower and stuttered, "Will… you… uh will… willyoumarryme?"

Roxas nodded, and murmured, "Red tulips mean a declaration of love, right, dad?"

"Yeah," Sora replied, and he turned back to preparing lunch.

Roxas grinned, and yelled a, "Thanks, dad!" before running back down the stairs and into the store. Sora smiled, and looked up and out of the window. After he had married Riku the two had moved into an old, worn down apartment. Then Marluxia had announced he was sick of this tiny little shop, and given it to Riku and Naminé. Sora and Riku had then moved into the liveable part of the store, and adopted Roxas.

A pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around Sora's waist, and Riku pressed a kiss into Sora's nape.

"Why did our son just run out the door shouting something about confessing his everlasting love to Axel?" Riku asked.

Sora laughed, and leaned back into his husband's embrace. "Because he's a hopeless romantic deep down inside. Just like you"

Riku laughed, and replied, "Hey, just because I gave you a new bouquet every day of our high school experience doesn't mean I was a hopeless romantic."

Sora snorted, and muttered, "You gave me a yellow tulip every day you saw me"

Riku paused, and blinked. "Huh. I guess you're right"

Sora grinned. "Of course I'm right"

Riku laughed again. "Yeah. Of course"

The gentle tinkle of a bell alerted the two that a customer had arrived, so Riku kissed Sora's cheek and hurried back down the stairs. Sora smiled, and raised his hand to his hair. Sure enough, a forget-me-not had been threaded through. Sora grinned as he pulled the small flower from his hair, and murmured, "True love"

And the flower was right.


End file.
